Batteries No good - Further information.

Thank you for the comments about the recent replacement of Caxton's batteries and in answer to some of the questions Joe offers the following;
Caxton has a Mastervolt Combi 12/2500 inverter (this boosts 12v electricity from the batteries up to 240volt so we can use domestic appliances, TV, laptops, etc.) this has a sophisticated charging system. We also have a 3.5kw Travelpower as part of the engine installation which provides 240volt power when the engine is running to run the white goods aboard Caxton.  The weakest link in the electrical supply was the lead acid(wet) batteries which have not survived heavy use, neglect and abuse. 

• heavy use -  the number of domestic appliances we want to operate
• neglect -  difficulty in checking the electrolyte levels in 30 battery cells, enclosed in a box, on top of the 'swim' in the engine compartment, with limited clearance didn't get done during this summer's hot weather.
• abuse - an overload which blew the main 250amp fuse to the inverter (hands up Lesley...) and caused irreparable damage.

We could have replaced 3 of the 5 batteries with new 'wet' batteries but we felt that this would have been a false economy because the older batteries could have failed at any time.  We have replaced the 5 110ah wet batteries with  5 120ah gel batteries.

Floyd gets a masterclass in how to catch a mouse

Daisy Cat is busy , there are mice to be caught in this spot and she has been sitting staring at the shrubbery for some ten minutes or so when Floyd spots her.  He stands behind her for a couple of minutes, watching carefully and puzzled by what she is doing (Floyd, bless him, is frequently puzzled) before gently seating himself down behind her.

Daisy is not amused and very quickly she abandons her hunting, with a look of disdain for both dog and human audience, she stomps off - the things a cat has to put up with!!

Batteries NO good..

Joe straddling the engine to get at Caxton's batteries

Yesterday morning we moved Caxton along the Saltisford Arm with its large WELCOME sign (the meaning of the word 'welcome' is open to interpretation however...) in order to get as close to Warwick Batteries as possible; it was time to bite the bullet and replace Caxton's battery bank.  We were getting increasingly less power from the batteries and checks revealed that of the five batteries only two were functioning.

Graham came along and helped lug dead batteries out and get the new batteries from just across the road.

The last two lead acid batteries are awaiting disposal and the new gel batteries are installed.  All done within the hour...

That will be £735 please Sir....Ouch

Two years and counting

L-R Graham, Me Jill and Joe.

This weekend was the anniversary of our second year aboard Caxton and today we start our third year as liveaboards.  We marked the occasion by going out for a celebratory meal - here's to many more years of this wonderful lifestyle!!! Cheers!

All roped together

 To ease our progress down the Stockton lock flight we roped Caxton and Matilda Rose together leaving Joe to helm both boats through the locks while Graham was freed up to lend a hand operating the locks with Jill and me.

This successful operation will be repeated on Monday morning when we go up the Hatton flight... whether it will be Joe or Graham at the helm is yet to be decided though...

A visit from a fellow blogger

L-R Graham, Joe, Greygirl and Jill

We had just pulled pins and started to move Caxton from her mooring outside the Cape of Good Hope pub in Warwick when the phone trilled and a voice said "I'm in Braunston, where are you?" Forty five minutes later Greygirl arrived to regale us all with the latest on her boating activities - another boat no less, share a bit of lunch aboard Caxton and scuttle off back to husband 'A'and their six greyhounds. It was lovely to see her and catch up with each other again.

Boatmans explained..

Leon emerging from the boatmans cabin in readiness to go into Braunston and collect his wife Rae.

The last time we met Leon and Rae of Nb The Old Bovine was in March when we passed through Braunston Junction en route for Aylesbury. Surprise, surprise here they are again out on Foxes Gate when we turned up last Monday.   Over a cup of coffee aboard Caxton Leon offered to show us the modifications he had made on The Old Bovine and show Joe how a Boatman's Cabin (BC) was laid out - I have been waxing on about what a great use of space the traditional BC is and that in any replacement for Caxton I would definitely want a BC and an engine room. The problem was that Joe had never seen a BC so may powers of persuasion were falling short.... then along comes Leon and his kind offer.

We spent an hour aboard the delightful The Old Bovine and every intricacy, nook and cranny of a BC was explained including how the bed 'ole operated.  My thanks to Leon for taking the time and sharing his boat with us for an hour - Joe now understands my enthusiasm - step forward!!!